Sunrise Lane variance request before BOA

The Holmes Beach Board of Adjustment will meet Sept. 24 to consider a variance request for a housing development on Sunrise Lane.

The meeting is scheduled to take place at 9 a.m. at city hall, 5801 Marina Drive.

The applicant for the variance, FLM of Brandon, owns a 35,279 square foot parcel at 5311 Sunrise Lane.

The property is zoned Residential-1 and the owner, under city code, can build multiple single-family structures on a single parcel provided the total density of the site does not exceed 5.8 units per acre and the structures otherwise meet R-1 zoning requirements for spacing, setbacks and lot coverage.

A summary of the variance application states that density limitations allow up to four units to be built on the Sunrise Lane parcel, but that FLM “plans to construct only two single-family units.”

“These units could be constructed today under the city’s code, without the need for any variance,” the summary continues. “The units then could be sold separately upon the recordation of a condominium plat.”

However, FLM decided to take a different approach, one that requires a variance.

“When this plan was brought forward, neighboring property owners on Sunrise Lane expressed a preference to have the property divided into two fee simple lots rather than building two lots on a single parcel and recording a condominium plat,” the application summary states.

“We agree with the neighbors, that creating two lots makes more sense and is more desirable for all involved. The parcel, however, has only 140 feet of street frontage, and the code requires 75 feet of frontage per lot.”

To proceed, the applicant maintains, the variance is needed.

“The applicant is requesting a variance on this parcel to allow the parcel to be split into two 70-foot wide lots,” the summary states. “The variance is justified by the unique shape of the parcel, being more than 35,000 square feet in size but containing only 140 feet of street frontage.”